Under the patronage of Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh, the government signed with the Japanese government, today, Tuesday, a memorandum of understanding regarding financing a project to improve drinking water supply in Jenin, at a value of 2.8 billion yen, equivalent to about 20 million dollars.
The project, whose agreement was signed in the Prime Minister’s Office, aims to improve drinking water supply services in the city of Jenin by rehabilitating the existing water network and expanding it to include new neighborhoods and homes not connected to water services. It will be implemented through the Japanese Aid Agency (JICA), and under the supervision and implementation of the Palestinian Water Authority. .
Advisor to the Prime Minister, Estephan Salama, explained that work on the project is expected to begin after signing, and its implementation will raise the percentage of beneficiaries of water supply networks from 81% currently to 98%. It will also work to reduce losses from 60% to 25%, and will increase the number of beneficiaries of the project. In 2030, about 70 thousand people in the city of Jenin.
For his part, Head of the Water Authority, Mazen Ghoneim, said: “We extend our sincere thanks to the Japanese government for the support it provides to Palestine in general, the water sector in particular, and the JICA Foundation’s crews. This project came as a result of the first phase, which began in 2017 and cost $5 million.”
He continued: "We look forward to further and strengthening cooperation with the Japanese government in the water sector, because water in Palestine is not only a basic service and a government priority, but rather a political issue par excellence since the Israeli occupation controls more than 85% of the water sources in Palestine and controls the fate of our people." Therefore, these projects come so that we can exploit every drop of water to provide it to our people so that we can remain steadfast on our land and face all Israeli measures.”
In turn, the Ambassador for Palestinian Affairs, Representative of Japan to Palestine, Yoichi Nakashima, expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister and the Palestinian partners for facilitating the implementation of Japanese projects in Palestine.
He said: “The city of Jenin is facing multiple problems related to water, and we are very much looking forward to the opening of this project to enhance water services in the city of Jenin. This assistance will be directed through the municipal teams that previously benefited from the JICA project. The primary objectives of this grant include the rehabilitation of water resources facilities.” ", Expanding the water distribution infrastructure, and improving the efficiency of water supply in the municipality of Jenin
Source: Maan News Agency